


Koori

by Darkicedragon



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:49:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkicedragon/pseuds/Darkicedragon
Summary: M-21 finds a stray puppy on the streets.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 51





	Koori

**Author's Note:**

> Written for cat-t-wisteria's verse: https://cat-t-wisteria.tumblr.com/tagged/rkgk

M-21 walked through the streets, the bustle of the people around him and the passing cars not loud enough to drown out the crunch of the snow under his feet. It had snowed overnight but must of it had been trodden under already through the busy foot traffic.   
  
He slowed, frowning. There had been something that didn't fit with the usual city sounds.   
  
He waited a few seconds, seeing if the sound would happen again.  
  
Nothing.   
  
Maybe just his imagination then.   
  
M-21 turned away again, but just as he started to walk, he heard it again.   
  
A whimper.   
  
Weaker than before.   
  
Shit.   
  
M-21 dashed into the alleyway he'd been standing next to, straining his ears. There were a few trails where people had walked through, but the area was less disturbed than the main street.   
  
It wasn't human, that was for sure. It sounded much smaller than that. But he couldn't _see_ anyth-   
  
There. A small lump that stood out from the flat snow surrounding it, a black nose poking out.   
  
M-21 dug it out to reveal a small puppy. It was ice cold to the touch and it didn't react when he shook it.   
  
Was he too late? Was it-  
  
The puppy whined again, moving slightly. It sounded so weak...  
  
M-21 held it close to his chest, not sure if he could even feel a heartbeat as he raced home. If there was anyone who could save the puppy, it was Frankenstein.   
  


* * *

  
"Frankenstein!" M-21 called out as he barged into the house. He could have called beforehand, but he didn't want to unbalance the puppy, especially when it needed as much warmth as he could give it.   
  
It seemed to have warmed up a bit at least, starting to shiver. That was a good sign, wasn't it? Better than being too cold to even do that.   
  
Frankenstein took one look at them and nodded, leading the way down to the lab. "I should have known you would have found a pup," Frankenstein said, his voice light in contrast to how he was rushing into the lab. "Where did you find them?"  
  
"Buried under the snow in the shopping district."  
  
Frankenstein flicked a towel onto the examining table. "Gently rub them down, so they can get dry and warmed up."   
  
As M-21 did that, he heard Frankenstein rummaging around and then the drone of the microwave.   
  
"How are they doing?"   
  
A whimper answered for him. "Alive?" Barely? Maybe? Were they going to just die in his-  
  
"That's good." Frankenstein stood opposite him, checking over the puppy. He pinched the puppy's back and when he let go, he tutted, reaching for the syringe he'd brought. "A little dehydrated," he murmured as he found a vein and injected the syringe's contents into the puppy.  
  
The microwave dinged and Frankenstein was gone again as the puppy called out again. Calling out for its mum? For its siblings?   
  
M-21 hadn't seen any other puppies there, but the snow had been so deep... Maybe he'd missed them?   
  
"Hey, what's up?"   
  
M-21 hadn't even heard the lab doors open, he was so focused on warming up the puppy.   
  
"Ah, perfect timing," Frankenstein said, setting an IV bag down next to the puppy and wrapping the towel around it again. "Could you bring some meat down on a plate? Something soft."   
  
"Got it, Boss!"   
  
M-21 heard the lab doors close then, but he watched the puppy start to move around more, trying to curl up around the IV bag. He touched where the towel was covering the bag and oh, it was warm.   
  
"He should pull through," Frankenstein said, checking the puppy's gums. "But he'll be weak for a while, and will need constant feeding to build up his strength."   
  
"I'll do it," M-21 said, still watching the puppy. "I brought him in, right? He's my responsibility." It made the most sense.   
  
"Heh, not alone though, Em!" Tao set the plate in front of the puppy's nose. "We can look after him too."   
  
Oh. ...Yeah, he wasn't alone here, was he?   
  
M-21 watched the puppy sniff at the food and licked at it.   
  
The puppy was going to be all right, wasn't he...?  
  


* * *

  
"So you found him between-" Tao muttered as he typed on his keyboard while M-21 bathed the puppy.   
  
The puppy was getting more energetic, just from the food and whatever Frankenstein had given him, and the band of worry inside M-21 eased a little. The puppy was even playing a little in the shallow water.   
  
M-21 rinsed the puppy and blinked. "Oh, you're white." He'd thought the puppy was either grey or brown, but that must have been all the dirt clinging to him.  
  
Tao peered over, cooing. "And he looks so cute!" He glanced back at his screen. "Hmm, I'm not seeing any movement near there," Tao said. "No dogs either."   
  
"He was all alone then, huh...?" Left to die outside, no-one to care for him...   
  
"Looks like it."   
  
M-21 exhaled, continuing to wash the puppy. At least he hadn't taken him from his family.   
  


* * *

  
M-21 paused at Tao's phone alarm going off and then headed for the kitchen.   
  
"I think he's learning that sound means food already, heh," Tao said as M-21 came back into the living room.   
  
The puppy was in the little soft dog bed Takeo and Tao had bought, alongside an assortment of puppy essentials toys and other things. And the puppy was looking up at him, expectantly.   
  
The puppy wasn't strong enough (or trusted M-21 enough) to come over yet, but the puppy didn't skitter away either when M-21 sat down next to his bed.   
  
After M-21 had put his bowl down, the puppy came out and started eating.   
  
M-21 watched him eat a little, and reached over slowly. He was sure the puppy could see him, and when he stroked the puppy's head, the puppy stopped for a second, before continuing.   
  
A small smile tugged at M-21's lips. "We're not going to hurt you here," he murmured.   
  
Movement out of the corner of his eye, and when he looked up, Tao was draped over the back of the sofa, phone in hand. "I'll send the picture to ya!" Tao said, cackling. "You looked sooo sweet!"   
  
Rolling his eyes, M-21 stood up, leaving the puppy to his meal.   
  


* * *

  
"What are you going to call him?" Takeo asked, as Tao chased the puppy around the garden, toys in hand.   
  
M-21 kept watching the pair for a few seconds, before he shook his head. "I...don't know."   
  
" _Really_?" Tao yelped as he dodged the puppy to go over to them. "You needin' a topic or a list to pick from?"   
  
"No," M-21 said. "I just...don't feel right forcing a name on him. He must have his own name, not one I make up for him." M-21 knew all too well about not being called by the name he'd been given, forced to live with a name that wasn't his.   
  
"Hmm, I guess."   
  
The puppy seemed tired out after that exercise, and they went back inside.   
  


* * *

  
"Hey there, kiddo!"   
  
M-21 watched as Muzaka came in through the garden door - it was better than Muzaka climbing in through the balcony and M-21 was surprised none of their neighbours had seen him do that yet. Maybe it was because Muzaka visited at strange times, so neighbours weren't always around to see him.   
  
The puppy perked up at Muzaka but stayed put. Huh. So it wasn't because of his heart that the puppy seemed to like him? Even for Muzaka he was a little wary.   
  
Muzaka sat down next to the puppy's bed and held out a fist. "Nice ta meet'cha!"   
  
The puppy stretched closer, sniffing his fist.   
  
"How'd you get here then, huh?"   
  
...Oh, right. Muzaka was a werewolf. "You can understand him?" Or was Muzaka being his usual chatty self?   
  
"Yep!" Muzaka opened his palm and started petting the puppy, the puppy leaning into his touch. "Ooh, you were brought here?"   
  
M-21 froze, making sure he'd heard properly. If the puppy had told him that - if Muzaka could understand the puppy, then maybe...? "Does he know what happened to his parents?"   
  
Muzaka nodded. "So what happened to your folks?"   
  
Muzaka didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Ah..." He looked up at M-21. "They just stopped coming."   
  
Definitely an orphan then. It was a sad confirmation, but he hadn't stolen him from his family then.   
  
"C'mon!" Muzaka said, clapping once and then hopping to his feet. "Wanna play?"   
  
The puppy barked once, scrambling out of the bed to follow Muzaka out.   
  
M-21 followed them out too. With Muzaka here, then he could ask- "Muzaka?"  
  
"Yeah?" Muzaka dangled the tug toy in front of the puppy, laughing when the puppy grabbed it.   
  
"What's his name?"  
  
"Oh, sure. What's yer name, pup?" Muzaka asked as he let the puppy tug at the toy.   
  
M-21 didn't like the way Muzaka's expression stilled for a second.   
  
"He doesn't know."   
  
" _How_?" Did his mum not name him or-?  
  
Muzaka scooped up the puppy, scratching the puppy's head. "Pups can't hear until they're about three weeks, so if he lost his mum about then, then it's no surprise he didn't hear what he was called."   
  
...Oh. That made sense...   
  
So the puppy didn't have a name...  
  


* * *

  
M-21 couldn't stop thinking about the puppy's name. Or lack of it. Not when he knew the puppy would never know or hear the name he'd been given.   
  
The puppy had grown in confidence, content to press up against his leg as he petted him.   
  
But...a name? Did that mean he had to be the one to name the puppy now?   
  
He breathed a half laugh, shaking his head. He could deal with taking care of the puppy in his stride, but giving a name felt like such a bigger responsibility in comparison. That was...the entire puppy's identity in that.   
  
What _could_ he name him? There were so many possibilities that it was hard to focus on _anything_.   
  
Someone poked him in the head. M-21 knew it was Tao before Takeo and Tao settled down next to him. "What'cha thinking about? You've got some serious thinking forehead lines got going on."   
  
The puppy stiffened but as M-21 continued petting him, he relaxed again.   
  
"A name for the puppy," M-21 said.   
  
"Eeeh?"  
  
"What made you change your mind?" Takeo said over Tao's exclamation.   
  
M-21 didn't look up, still watching the puppy. "Muzaka said he doesn't know what his name is, so..."   
  
He heard Tao pull out his phone, tapping furiously.   
  
"I thiiink he might be a shiba?" Tao said, squinting at the puppy. "Or partially, if we're going by the tail, but if he was on the street he's probably a mongrel."   
  
"Okay...?" What did... Oh. "Where are they from?"   
  
"Japan."   
  
M-21 nodded. It was...a start. Something to narrow down the massive amount of potential names.   
  


* * *

  
M-21 kept mulling it over as he fed the puppy his next meal.   
  
Tao had suggested maybe doing something with how the puppy looked. But how did that work? What did the puppy look like?  
  
He studied the puppy, but all that came to mind was...a puppy. With medium length fur and a tail that flipped upwards onto his body.   
  
Then...the fur? White fur that looked like a frozen over lake. Frozen... Almost like the puppy had been when M-21 had found him, surrounded by icy snow.   
  
Ice? Then...if it was in Japanese...  
  
"Koori?" M-21 tried out, watching the puppy.   
  
No reaction, still focused on eating, and M-21 huffed, patting him. Koori.   
  
That might be all right.   
  


* * *

  
M-21 was watching TV with Tao and Takeo when he saw Muzaka jump down in the garden. "Yo!" Muzaka said as he came in, waving at him, before turning his attention to Koori, making a big gasp. "You've grown so much, haven't ya?"   
  
Koori ran up to him, tail wagging furiously, making M-21 smile. Koori had grown in strength and confidence in the last couple weeks, curious about exploring the house and meeting new people.   
  
"Ooh, Koori, huh?" Muzaka said with a chuckle, kneeling as Koori greeted him, licking his face. "That's your name?"  
  
M-21 couldn't breathe, hearing Muzaka say that. Koori knew his name now? It was one thing that Koori reacted to what M-21 had called him, but M-21 wasn't sure if Koori knew if that was his _name_.  
  
"Heh, well, you can call me grandpa Muzaka if ya want!"   
  
"What?" Had Muzaka just said-?  
  
Tao burst out into spluttering laughter.   
  
"Yeah?" Muzaka said, grinning at M-21. "Koori says you're his parent, so that makes _me_ a grandpa!"  
  
Koori thought he was-?  
  
"Congrats on the kid, Em!" Tao said, clapping his shoulder, still laughing.   
  
Koori thought he was his parent.   
  
Oh.   
  
M-21 smiled when Koori came up to him, and he picked Koori up to set him on his lap, patting him.   
  
He'd made his family bigger, huh...   
  
It was a nice feeling.


End file.
